Means for driving spindles in textile spinning machines



P 29, 1931- J. BERLINERBLAU 1,825,472

MEANS FOR DRIVING SPINDLES IN TEXTILE SPINNING MACHINES Filed Dec. 14, 1927 INVENTORY l er/zher/aa;

W Arrow Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEN JOSEPH BERLINERBLAU, F WARSAW, POLAND MEANS FOR DRIVING SPINDLES IN TEXTILE SPINNING MACHINES Application filed December i4, 192?, Serial No. 240,050, and in Great Britain December 15,1926.

This invention relates to means for driving the spindles in textile spinning machines, the said means being of the kind known as electric independent drives, wherein each spindle of the machine is rotated by its own electric motor and is made to form a part of or is coupled to the motor shaft.

'According to this invention the motor casingsof the spindles are mounted on rods carried by the machine frame which rods also prevent rotation of the said casings, the said rods "being preferably adjustable to regulate the height at which the said casings are supported. The bearings of the motor casings being thus relieved of the function of supporting them axially, there is no need for shoulders on the spindles and for axial thrust hearings to sustain'thc weight of the casings and their co-related parts and the bearings may therefore be merely of a kind suitable to take up the radial pressure of the spindles.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which p I Fig. 1 represents in vertical elevation partly in section one form of support, one spindle only with its motor being illustrated for the sake of simplicity.

Figure 2 represents partly in section another form of support,'and

Figure 3 represents inelevation a still further form of support.

Referring more particularly to Figure l, the spinning machine frame indicated generally at A includes a top rail a and a bottom rail 6. The spindle c with its flyer d is supported in the top rail, for example by means of a bush or sleeve 6 and in the bottom rail, for example by means of a socket f in which the lower end of the spindle fits. The socket is adjustable vertically to permit correct setting and horizontal alignment of the several spindles and in the example illustrated this is done by making the socket f a sliding fit in the bottom rail 6, and locking it in the desired position by means of a set screw I The socket is provided with a steel ball it against which the lower end of the spindle bearsto reduce friction and consequent excessive wear.

mg 0 which is The spindle where it passes through the bush e is tapered as shown at 2', the bushbeing likewise tapered-so that when the .top rail caring becomes worn the bush maybe lowered to compensate such wear and prevent the spindle whirling. A set-screw j passing through the rail and engaging with the bush is provided tolock the latter in its adjusted position. This is a very well known arrangement of top bearing.

The spindle bearings illustrated are given by way of example only and they do not form any part of the present invention, as they will vary according to the prevailing practice or to the type of machine to which the invention is applied.

The motor for driving the spindle is indicated generally at B being preferably a three-phase or other polyphase motor with a short circuited winding and working with any desired low tension of variable frequency. As illustrated the motor is situated intermediately of the ends of the spindle which is as indicated formed as a continuation of-the motor shaft, although it may be joined to the latter, the motor casing comprising a body portion 7a and upper and lower end-plates Z and m secured to the body portion by screws or other suitable means. The upper end-plate is provided with a recess 92 forming a housing for a ball or roller bearheld in place in the recess by means of a screw cap p. The lower end-plate 'is similarly provided with a recess '9 forming a housing for a ball or roller bearing 7 which is likewise held in place by means of a screw cap .9. Since the bearings take no substantial part in vertically supporting the motor casing with its winding they may be simple radial thrust bearings.

The rotor t which in the example given is composed of iron laminationsis secured to the spindle so as to rotate with it andis surrounded by the motor casing.

The support for the motor casing which acts also to prevent rotation of the casing comprises one or more rods a, two being shown in Figure 1 by way of example, arranged one on either side of the spindle, the

said rods preferably having screw-threaded lower ends w which engage in correspondingly screw-threaded holes in the bottom spindle rail. The upper ends 1 of these rods engage in recesses 3 provided in the lower end-plate m of the casing so that the rods sustain the weight or" the casing with the winding. In the example illustrated the recesses consist of holes in which the upper ends of the rods fit snugly, but they may if desired be somewhat larger than the diameter of the rods so that great precision is no; required to ensure these recesses being in align ment with the screw-threaded holes in, the bottom rail so that the rods will exactly register with them. The rods act merely to sustain the weight of the casing and the winding and to prevent rotation thereof by the engagement of the sides of the rods with the sides of the holes, and do not contribute to the centering ot the casing around the spindle which is obtained by means of the bearings 0 and r.

The rods being secured in the bottom rail by means of screwthreads, they can thus be conveniently adjusted in regard to their effective height, to secure the correct vertical setting of the casing. To lock the rods in position after such correct setting they may be provided on their screw-threaded ends with lock-nuts 2 adapted to be screwed down on the lower spindle rail.

Referring now to Figure 2, the rods u in this embodiment, pass through clearance holes a in the top rail a and are provided with screw-threaded upper ends a over which engage nuts 7& adapted to engage with the upper surface of the rail a direct, or through the medium of an inte posed washer u. The lower ends of the rods are likewise screw-threaded at 10, passing through clearance holes in the upper end plate Z of the motor casing and engaging in screw-threaded holes is in the body portion 7a thereof. The screw-threaded ends to may act in whole or in part as substitutes for the bolts or screws normally employed for securing the end plate Z to the body portion 7a. hen this is desired, the rods are preteraliily provided with collars 2 adapted to press upon the upper surface of the plate Z when the rods are screwed home.

The screw-threaded ends a with their nuts 11? allow for the adjustment of the effective length of the rods for correct vertical positioning of the motor casings.

Figure 3 also shows the invention adapted for supporting the motor casing from the top rail but the arrangement is a little different from that depicted in Figure 2. The rods u, as before, pass through clearance holes a in the top rail a and are provided with screw-threaded upper ends u carrying adjustment nuts u? and. if desired, interposed washers u Here, however the lower ends of the rods are provided with eyes or loops 102 engaging other projections 7: in the motor casing. These projections may be comprised by pins or lugs secured to the casing in any suitable manner or formed thereon. In the example illustrated they consist of pins shrunk into holes provided in the body portion k.

The advantage of this arrangement is that it not only permits vertical adjustment of the casing but it enables the parts to be dismantled with a minimum of trouble, since owing to the flexibility of: the rods their loops 4.0 can be disengaged from the projections L simply by the application of lateral pressure to the rods.

In applying the invention the motors B may, if desired be arranged in horizontal alignment. In some cases it might be found preferable, for the purpose of utilizing to the best advantage the space available between adjacent spindles, to position the motors in staggered relation.

The invention is applicable to all kinds of spinning machines whether the spindles thereof operate tlyers or rings, and in fact to any spinning motion wherein the motors and spindles can be arranged as independent units, the invention being especially applicable to heavy duty machines such as those used for spinning hemp, jute, flax and other fibres of hard or coarse nature. It can be applied without in any way departing from the prevailing methods of mounting the spindles on the machine or in cases of conversion without interfering with the existing spindle bearings; whilst at the same time leaving the spindles suiiiciently exposed to permit the braking oi them manually when desired. It also important to note that the invention can be applied to existing spindles without any alteration whatsoever other than the removal of the old drives and the application in their place of the rotors of. the motors, and even this can be done without in any way cl anging the form or design of the spindles.

{av ng now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declarethat what I claim is:

In coml'iination, a spinning machine including a frame provided with top and bottom rails, spindles. electric motors driving said spindles, means supporting the motors on the bottom rail, means on said bottom rail for taking the axial thrust of the spindles. and bearing means for said spindles carried by the top rail, said bearing means having a tapered bore and the adjacent portion oi the spindle being correspondingly shaped to permit compensation for wear by adjustment of the bearing member.

In testimony whereof I have afiised my signature.

Du. JOSEPH BERLINERBLAU. 

